A Green Smoothie To Help You Detox Decadently

Step away from the juice cleanse. Don't call your sugar sponsor — contrary to popular belief, dates, bananas and apples are NOT the enemy. And, hate to break it to you, but many French women DO get fat. (They just don't care as much about an extra kilo or deux if they do). While Americans are spending this month busy signing up for gym memberships, dusting off running shoes and bonding with co-workers over an all kale-juice cleanse, over in France, everyone is … eating cake. Oh yes, buttery pastry pie crusts filled with cream to be precise. Les galettes des rois, or King cakes, are a French tradition that takes over the country as soon as the new year begins.

The French begin serving a buttery, pastry crusted tart filled with frangipane (an almond-infused cream filling) on the first Sunday of the new year and galette des rois festivities continue throughout the month. Originally a religious celebration to fête the Epiphany, the tradition has become a national excuse to continue festive holiday celebrations and gather with family, friends and co-workers for a sweet treat in the new year. The cakes are all filled with a "fève," aka the French word for "bean," usually replaced with a plastic trinket baked inside of the cake. Whoever takes a bite out of the fève is crowned king or queen for the day!

I love this tradition, but bien sûr I am not such a fan of the très UNgreen buttery pastry, cream filling or plastic toy. So let's have our king's cake and eat it — or drink it — too!

Voilà a GREENtox to start off the year. It's like a detox, only much more green and much more fun. This green smoothie is an ode to la galette des rois, only this time it's also a great detox drink that will hydrate the body, soothe the intestines and give a welcome energy boost needed during this action-packed season. The almond crème here is a frangipane-free yet flavorful and creamy addition to this sweet, rich creation that subs coconut butter for actual butter. You'll automatically get the "fève" (this time an edible Goji berry) and certainly will feel like a king or queen for the day after drinking this in the morning! Let them eat (king's) cake smoothie!

January Greentox Smoothie

Serves 1

Ingredients

1 tablespoon of almond butter (I adore Dastony's silky smooth, raw and sprouted almond butter, but any will do. Try to buy organic and sugar-free if you can, or better yet, make your own!)

½ tablespoon of coconut butter (or coconut oil, but the "butter" really adds a coconutty flavor and creamy texture. This is also sometimes more easily found as "coconut manna" – an apt title since I am convinced it does hail from heaven.)

¾ cup of coconut water (or filtered water)

¼ teaspoon of vanilla powder

1/8 teaspoon of cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon of ginger powder (or fresh ginger, to taste)

½ teaspoon of Matcha powder (make sure this is a good quality Matcha such as Got Matcha Gotmatcha.com)

1 handful of your favorite greens (kale, romaine, spinach…)

½ teaspoon of spirulina powder

½ small cucumber

1 small apple, cored and chopped

1 banana

1 tablespoon of Goji berries

Preparation

1. Add date to hot water for a few minutes to soften, then pit and peel.

2. Blend the almond butter with the coconut water, date and vanilla in a high-speed blender, preferably a Vitamix, until it becomes "milk".

3. Add the goji berries to a small bowl or glass and pour hot water over the top. Chop apple and cucumber. Add all ingredients to the blender with the almond milk. Then blend. You can add more almond milk or liquid as needed — I like a thick shake, but if you prefer more liquid, go for it.

4. Once the Goji berries are plump, add them to a glass or jar. Pour the blend over the goji berries and drink. When you come across the goji berries, rejoice — you're King / Queen for the day, congratulations! And if you're not happy about that, the nutritionally-dense goji berries; aka "happy berries" will certainly brighten your mood.